Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has called for a fresh review of Nigeria’s constitutional arrangement on religion, warning that the country cannot achieve lasting religious peace while maintaining what he described as “two parallel laws” for Muslims and non-Muslims.
Onaiyekan made the call while delivering a lecture titled “The Christian Church in Nigeria Today: Past Legacy and Future Prospects” at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Oyo State Chapter, in Ibadan.
The former Abuja Archbishop said Nigeria needed to clarify the relationship between religion and the state, particularly the place of Sharia within the country’s constitutional framework.
According to him, while the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and states that the Nigerian state cannot adopt a religion as its official religion, it also contains provisions relating to Islamic law, creating what he described as an unresolved situation.
He said: “It is my strong belief for many years that our nation cannot really enjoy religious peace if we continue to maintain two parallel laws, one for Muslims, in the Sharia, and another for non-Muslims.”
Onaiyekan argued that Nigeria could adopt a principle under which the laws of the country would neither forbid what a religion commands nor compel people to violate their religious beliefs.
He cited Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, as an example of a nation where Muslims live without the state imposing Sharia law.
He said: “We are not asking for too much if we ask our Muslim friends to let us be on the same level playing ground, with One Nation, One Law.”
The Catholic cleric also challenged Christians to become more actively involved in politics and governance, saying politics should be regarded as a sacred engagement directed towards the common good.
He warned that Christians should not leave the political space to people who view politics primarily as a means of acquiring power and controlling public resources.
“Christians cannot leave the public space and politics in the hands of people who do not believe that politics is for service,” he said.
Onaiyekan, however, questioned whether Christians currently occupying political and public offices were actually bringing Christian values into governance or merely happened to be Christians who attained positions of power.
He said the Christian community had considerable work to do if it wanted to make a meaningful impact on Nigeria’s governance.
“As Christians, we should not shy away from spelling out our understanding of what good politics entails,” he said, adding that Christians and Muslims could identify common ground in their respective religious values and work together towards a better Nigeria.
Addressing the relationship between Christianity and Islam in Nigeria, Onaiyekan called for mutual respect and freedom of religion.
He said religious conversion should be based on free choice and warned against the use of political power, social pressure or force to impose religion.
“Religion should be proposed for acceptance, never imposed by any means, whether physically by war, politically by using state influence, or morally by social pressures,” he said.
He also urged Christians and Muslims to find a way of sustaining peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, describing both communities as having a mandate to proclaim their faith while respecting the freedom of others.
The cleric also rejected the claim that Christianity was introduced into Nigeria as a product of British colonialism.
He traced the earliest encounters between Christianity and the Nigerian area to the 16th century, when Catholic missionaries accompanied Portuguese traders to the kingdoms of Benin and Warri.
He said the more sustained missionary encounter occurred in the 19th century, when Protestant missionaries arrived in Badagry, followed by the activities of Anglican missionary Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and later Catholic missionaries in parts of present-day southern Nigeria.
Onaiyekan said the spread of Christianity accelerated after Nigeria gained independence, describing the growth of the Christian Church in the country as “very impressive, almost miraculous.”
He noted, however, that the growth had taken place amid strong rivalry between Christianity and Islam, stressing the need for both faiths to manage their relationship peacefully.
Onaiyekan identified disunity within the Christian community as another major challenge to the Church’s influence in Nigeria.
He traced the problem to divisions inherited from the various missionary traditions that brought Christianity to Nigeria, including Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and Baptist missions, as well as subsequent divisions within indigenous and Pentecostal movements.
He said the Christian Association of Nigeria had helped reduce the fragmentation by bringing different Christian blocs together, but argued that the Church needed to go beyond CAN towards genuine ecumenism.
“The Christian impact in politics will be more felt if the churches were more united,” he said.
He urged Christians to pursue greater unity around the teachings of Jesus Christ, noting that the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one” should remain central to the Church’s mission.
Earlier, the Chairman of CAN in Oyo State, Rev. Dr E.O. Ogundiya, in his address at the golden jubilee celebration, also called for greater unity among Christians and a stronger role for the Church in Nigeria’s social and political development.
Ogundiya said CAN was established in 1976, following the Nigerian Civil War, when Christian leaders from different traditions came together to enable the Church to speak with one voice.
He described Oyo State as central to the CAN story, citing Ibadan’s history as a centre of Christian missions and ecumenism.
According to him, Oyo CAN has, over the past 50 years, promoted unity among its five blocs, built bridges between faith communities and supported efforts to address security challenges in the state.
He said the Church must match prayer with action by demanding responsible leadership based on justice, equity, accountability and respect for human life.
Ogundiya also called for greater investment in young people and urged the Church to regain its role as the “moral compass” of Nigeria.
He said the next 50 years of CAN should focus not merely on maintaining its institutional presence but on deepening its impact through unity, youth development, education, healthcare, employment and moral transformation.
The CAN chairman said the golden jubilee should be viewed not simply as an anniversary but as “a covenant renewal” and a fresh commitment to the Church’s service to Nigeria.
